This invention relates to honey and, particularly, to a whipped honey spread having a butter-like consistency and a method for making same.
Upon exposure to sunlight and relatively cold temperatures natural honey tends to crystallize and become somewhat granular in consistency. In this form the honey loses its value as a food-stuff because it cannot be spread onto bread, crackers, pancakes, and the like. Granulated honey can be liquefied by heating, but when applied to other foodstuffs, the liquefied honey tends to "run" or drip off the foodstuff to which is has been applied.
Spreadable honey products made by some prior art processes are highly susceptible to syneresis or liquid separation. Other prior art processes have been aimed at overcoming this shortcoming. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,908,454 describes a process for making a churned honey in which the honey, at the threshold of crystallization, is placed in an open container and then agitated while being exposed to air for 45 to 90 minutes at a temperature between 100.degree. and 110.degree. F. U.S. Pat. No. 1,987,893 describes a process including the steps of first heating the honey to an elevated temperature (e.g., 160.degree. F) to destroy the yeasts contained in the honey, rapidly curing the liquefied honey to about 75.degree. F while agitating in an open container, mixing a quantity of crystallized honey into the cooled liquid honey and, upon completion of mixing, curing at a temperature to promote crystal formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,052,358 describes a process similar to the process of U.S. Pat. No. 1,987,893 in which a surface tension depressant, such as albumen, is mixed into the honey. In addition to the costs associated with the multiple steps of these processes, the products made therefrom tend to harden within relatively short on-shelf storage periods. Furthermore, all of these processes are batch processes.